


We’ll Leave The Light On For You

by SummerStormFlower



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Cole is afraid of the dark now, Gen, Takes place after season 10, after the battle with the oni, good thing his brothers are very understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 11:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20173789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: A lot of things almost happened in the fight against the Oni. They almost lost Cole to the darkness. Lloyd almost lost his life. Ninjago was almost swallowed by black clouds. But they survived somehow, like they always do. But just like any other battle, they have new scars to deal with.





	We’ll Leave The Light On For You

Kai knew he was being ridiculous, but he just had to check. He knew Lloyd was sitting beside him, dozing off—it was Jay’s turn to pick the film for movie night, and he’d picked something extremely boring and cheesy—but Kai just had to check. He just had to make sure Lloyd’s heart was still beating. 

When they’d all but thrown the slabs of wood off of Lloyd, and all Kai had seen was Lloyd’s unmoving body, he had felt a rip in his heart. It was like a physical piece of him had died alongside Lloyd. Maybe a part of him did die. 

The ninja learned a long time ago that they all needed each other. (Kai still remembered the raw burn inside his chest when they’d thought Zane was gone). Each of them was a key component, an essential, in their lives, their hearts, their existence. Without one, they weren’t complete. 

Just as Kai was trying to imagine a life without Lloyd—a miserable, agonizing life—Lloyd suddenly sucked in a huge gulp of air, like it was his first time tasting oxygen. And then he opened his eyes. Kai’s baby brother opened his eyes, and everything was right again in the world. 

They didn’t lose him, but they could have. That scared Kai more than anything, even though he’d never admit to ever feeling scared.

Not wanting to wake him, Kai carefully pressed his fingers to Lloyd’s wrist. He flinched, as Lloyd grunted sleepily and shifted, but made no indignation that he’d felt Kai’s touch. His eyelids were threatening to fall shut, and his head was slowly but surely lulling towards Kai’s shoulder. 

Checking to make sure he wouldn’t be caught in the act, Kai saw that the others were all dozing off as well, except for Jay, who was watching the movie intently. Checking on Lloyd once more, Kai saw his eyes were now closed. Knowing he was safe, Kai lightly moved his fingers along Lloyd’s wrist, searching for—

He found it.

Lloyd’s pulse. 

Lloyd's pulse, thumping reassuringly next to Kai’s fingers.

Kai breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then smiled when Lloyd’s head finally fell on his shoulder. 

Cole was on his other side. He’d fallen asleep hardly twenty minutes into the movie, and his drool had left a wet spot on the back of the sofa.

Kai laid his hand over Cole’s chest, quenching his fear when he felt the smooth in and out of Cole breathing. 

Kai had been hurt a lot of times in his life by a lot of things. The image of Cole, falling into pitch black darkness, his terrified scream ringing in Kai’s ears, was one of the things at the top of his list.

Kai looked at Zane and Nya, nearly completely asleep on the second couch, Nya’s legs in Zane’s lap, and Zane’s left hand dangling over the armrest. 

Jay was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest, his eyes glued to the TV.

They were alive.

They were alive, and Kai wasn’t alone, and he covered his arm over his eyes because he was tired, not because he was about to cry.  
_________________________________

When the movie was over, and Jay saw that everyone had fallen asleep, he felt a little bitter. He’d chosen a great movie! Nobody here appreciated the beauty of romance. 

He couldn’t be very upset though. Not when Zane was smiling in his sleep, and Nya looked like an angel, Lloyd looked like a little kid again, Kai’s hair was falling in his face, and Cole was drooling. 

A perfect picture. 

However, Jay accidentally shattered that perfect picture when he turned off the lights. 

Cole screamed in a way Jay had never heard him scream before. 

“Turn then on! Turn them on!”

Jay quickly complied, flicking all the switches back on. 

Everybody except Nya—still snoring softly—was awake now.

Lloyd had shot up in a fighting position, knocking Kai right off the sofa. Zane was standing up, gently moving Nya’s legs aside. 

And Cole was hunched over his knees, his head in his hands.

Jay instantly felt guilty.

“Cole, what is wrong?” Zane asked worriedly. He placed a tentative hand on Cole’s shoulder, unsure if he would appreciate physical comfort.

He didn’t pull away, so Zane figured he did.

“I...” Cole began shakily, “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to wake you all up.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Lloyd said, grasping Cole’s other shoulder. He was as stiff as a board. “What happened?”

Cole shook his head.

“Was it a nightmare?” Kai asked, sitting up on the floor, with a frown of concern.

“No,” Cole replied, but didn’t elaborate.

“I turned the lights off,” Jay spoke up, rubbing his arm self-consciously and averting his eyes.

The others frowned at him in confusion, unable to see how that was relevant. 

“It-it’s okay, Jay. You didn’t—you didn’t know,” Cole said, trying to sound reassuring, but his voice wobbled, most likely making Jay feel worse.

“Didn’t know what?” asked Lloyd, wrapping his arm around Cole.

Cole sighed, slumping against Lloyd’s arm. Lloyd was warm, so warm.

“When I fell into the cloud,” he said quietly, like he was sharing a secret that’d been kept for years, “It was so dark. It was dark and cold. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face.” 

He shivered at the memory; the memory of being so cold, he thought he would freeze. The memory of trying to find his way through the darkness, never knowing if he was alone or not. In his state, anything could have happened to him. Anything could have happened, and he would’ve been defenceless.

“You are not there anymore,” Zane said, squeezing his arm gently, “You are here with us.”

“Yeah buddy, it’s all over now,” Lloyd said, scooting closer to Cole. “We’re right here, and we’re here for you.”

“Just like how you’re always here for us,” Kai added, patting Cole’s leg.

“And we’ll always leave the light on for you,” Jay said with a smile. “We’ll sleep with the light on for as long as you need. And if the power goes out, we’ll light a candle. And if you can’t sleep without a night light ever again, that’s okay. I slept with my mine until I was sixteen.”

Cole smiled, warmth welling up inside him, covering him whole, and chasing away the cold. 

“Thanks guys.”

Zane patted his shoulder. “No thank you necessary, brother.”

“Yeah,” Lloyd yawned, starting to fall asleep again, “Besides, we can sleep with the light on. I know I can.”

“You can sleep through anything,” Kai said teasingly.

“Shut up,” Lloyd muttered, but his tone held no vice. He curled up beside Cole, and if he remembered this tomorrow morning, he was going to be as red as a tomato. 

It was moments like these, it was easy to imagine Lloyd as the young teenager he was. Not the Green Ninja, or their leader, or a fighter. 

Just their baby brother. 

“You’re a pretty heavy sleeper too, Kai,” Cole said. Then looking at Nya, he chuckled, “Must run in the family.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He climbed back onto the couch, making himself comfortable.

Zane carefully moved Nya’s legs, setting them back in his lap, as he too made himself comfortable against the cushions.

Jay sat on the floor again, laying his head on the couch in front of Lloyd. “Night, Cole,” he whispered, already drifting into dreamland. 

Cole closed his eyes, unafraid of the darkness behind his eyelids. He was warm, and he’d be greeted by the sun when he woke up, and he was surrounded by his family. 

Everything was as it should be.


End file.
